My extended stay in America has been fabulous. The repeated failure of Greyhound to take me home has resulted in a complimentary voucher for the next time I travel, and extra time for me to spend with my boyfriend and other NH lovelies. I’ve been here since December 5th, and don’t leave for home until tomorrow. I’m already eager to return for New Years Eve.

With that said, I can never get my brain to stop with the many blog possibilities. I was hesitant to post about this almost daily winter-time love of mine, because I fear the cruelty-free status of this product is questionable. If anyone has any information on the cruelty-free status of Gosh Cosmetics – feel free to comment below!

Peta still continues to list them on their Companies That Don’t Test list, however, when I click on the link to their site (GoshAmericas.com), I get a generic “page cannot be found” message. They still exist at Gosh.dk (their Danish website), so I am hoping they are undergoing some sort of overhaul on their American website.

Their Much More Moist! Conditioner is a product I’ve used in the colder months, when just using apple cider vinegar or white vinegar as a rinse won’t cut it. The product includes ingredients like seaweed, honey, and hyaluronic acid. It’s got a unique smell to it – kind of.. vegetable-y? I am not sure if I’m smelling the beet root in it, or what.

I use a small amount of this conditioner (which comes in a convenient pump, and lasts just about forever), on the ends of my hair, and leave it in for about 3-5 minutes in the shower. It leaves my hair so soft and looking lovely. It has a relatively short list of ingredients, which I prefer to the extensive lists I see in many cosmetics / skin care products. It often goes on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart for $7-8. If you’ve got dry hair, and would prefer not to go without conditioner, I’d suggest you check this out 🙂

**Check out my update to this entry here, where I discuss using self-control when one has an essential oil obsession like I do!

Do you use a lot of product in your hair? Is your hair dry, frizzy, and starting to resemble hay? Even if it isn’t, it is important to consider what I’d call a hair detox. I alternate using this hair detox with shampoos and conditioners that are simple and are not harsh. This helps keep your hair looking its best in between haircuts; I noticed so much improvement in my hair’s texture. Not to mention, apple cider vinegar is an amazing detangler, because it helps seal and close the cuticle surrounding the hair shaft; making it shinier, and very easy to manage.

A hair detox, The Classy Anarchist style, is a way for you to keep your hair looking and feeling awesome, without all the shampoos, conditioners, and styling products you typically use. This gives your precious hair time to recover, and

an assortment of essential oils (I used tea tree, lavender, and sea buckthorn)

First, make sure the lemon juice bottles are all rinsed out. One will be used for your baking soda wash (and shampoo replacement), and the other will be used for your apple cider vinegar rinse (conditioner equivalent). Each of these lemon juice bottles holds 440ml. As for the ratio of water: baking soda, and water: acv, I suggest starting out with a ratio of 1 cup water: 1 tbsp baking soda, and the same ratio for water: acv. You can then experiment by adding more or less baking soda / acv to the mix.

Baking Soda Wash:

Pour 1 TBSP baking soda into bottle

Fill almost to the top with lukewarm or cold water (it will just become room temperature anyways, and this is better for your hair cuticle than hot water).

Add in 3-6 drops of your favourite essential oils (I added about 5 drops of tea tree oil to help cleanse my hair and scalp, without being overly drying).

Shake it up! And you’re good to go.

Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse:

Same as with the baking soda wash, except add 1 TBSP acv to the second empty lemon juice bottle.

Fill with cold water.

Top off with some essential oils. I used 5 drops of lavender oil, and 4 of seabuckthorn seed oil. These oils will help soften my hair, help prevent dandruff, and other possible damages. Essential oils don’t have to be expensive (try Vitacost, or Well.ca), so it can be simple and fun to switch it up.

To use your homemade hair detoxes, shower as you normally would. First, rinse with the baking soda mix, while focusing on your scalp. Use just enough to saturate and massage your scalp with (a full preparation of this stuff lasts me about 4-5 washes). Next, rinse with the acv mix, focus on scalp and ends. Once you’ve used enough to saturate your hair, do whatever other shower business you need to take care of, and rinse the acv out of your hair with cold water (this may take some getting used to, but it’s definitely a good refresher in the mornings).

For more information on what essential oils might be best for your hair, check this nifty list out. Go here for some science-y talk about the effectiveness of acv on your hair.

*For those extremely put off by the sent of acv (this scent does not linger in your hair, by the way), you may replace it with white vinegar, or lemon juice. Lemon juice can colour your hair over time (I’ve noticed this on my hair), but when you have dark hair like myself, you ought to use with caution because your hair could turn more orange than the blonde you hoped for.

Each and every day, my morning shower routine consists of a bunch of deliciously fun bath and shower products, and I’d like to start a series of entries dedicated to the product scents that greet me amidst the steam and hot water every morning.

This morning I needed a pick-me-up that was a little more intense than usual, so I grabbed my Aveda Rosemary Mint Hand and Body Wash, and got down to business! A special someone left me two sample sizes of this product, and I haven’t been able to get enough of it ever since!

The scent of this body wash is delightfully crisp. The mint oil awakens, while rosemary leaf oil invigorates and soothes. Other helpful ingredients in this product include aloe vera leaf juice, and lavender oil (which also soothes and calms skin). A nickel-sized amount of this stuff works wonders, and lathers like a dream. It doesn’t dry out the skin like many other body washes (the essential oils most definitely help with that).

Post-shower, my entire bathroom was simmering in a refreshing spa-like aroma, and boy did it get my day off to a great start.

Let me know what your favourite day-to-day shower products are, and be sure to describe the scent in detail!